The spread of the Zebra Mussel into local waterways has created a great deal of concern. Some have attempted to solve the problem of control of Zebra Mussels by adding toxic compounds to the water or by mechanically removing the mussels after they have attached to the water lines. Recently, residential filtration systems have been sold to control mussel infestation. These filters have a pore size of 40 microns or less to keep the veligers out of the main system in the house.
While the filters keep the zebra mussels out of the house, the filtration units must be checked regularly to prevent zebra mussels from building up on the filters or in the unit itself. The filters are currently attached to the system by a slip sleeve connection. The filters are pulled from the unit and cleaned in bleach to kill any zebra mussels, eggs or veligers mid reinstalled in the unit. To perform this maintenance, the unit must be pulled from the water or divers must work on the unit in place. In either case, the slip sleeve connection has been a point of concern when reassembling the units. It is hidden from view once the unit is installed. When the filters are replaced in the unit it is difficult to tell if an adequate seal has been established or if there is a gap in the slip sleeve connection the filtration system will be compromised.
The maintenance of the filtration system is usually performed at least once a year for houses in use only a part of the year and more often for houses in use all year. The expense of this maintenance is much less costly than replacing the plumbing lines in the house so the filtration units and maintenance are justified by the protection they provide, but are still a significant expense.